Referee, umpire, service judge, line judges: who decides what
The roles of the officials in a match and how to appeal a decision, in plain words.
Why know the officials
At a tournament, several people decide different things. Knowing who is responsible for what helps you react correctly when you disagree with a call (Law 17, BWF Laws of Badminton, edition in force 26 April 2025).
Who does what
- Referee: in overall charge of the tournament or championship the match belongs to.
- Umpire: in charge of the match, the court and its immediate surroundings, and reports to the referee.
- Service judge: calls service faults made by the server, that is the conditions of Laws 9.1.2 to 9.1.8 (delay, feet, spin, height, racket movement, missing the shuttle).
- Line judge: indicates whether the shuttle landed in or out on the lines assigned to them.
What the umpire must do
The umpire upholds the laws and calls a fault or a let when one occurs, gives a decision on any appeal about a point of dispute, keeps players and spectators informed of the score, appoints or replaces line judges and a service judge in consultation with the referee, and takes over the duties of an official who is missing. If an appointed official is unsighted, the umpire either does that official's job or plays a let. The umpire also records and reports to the referee everything that concerns Law 16 (continuous play and misconduct).
Whose decision is final
An official's decision is final on the facts that official is responsible for. There are two exceptions. First, if it is beyond reasonable doubt, in the umpire's opinion, that a line judge clearly made a wrong call, the umpire overrules the line judge. Second, where an instant review system is used, that system decides line-call challenges, unless it gives an inconsistent or obviously incorrect decision, in which case the referee tells the umpire how to proceed.
How to appeal
- An appeal about a point of dispute must be made to the umpire before the next service is delivered.
- If the umpire's decision does not satisfy you, an appeal on a question of law only goes to the referee. It must also be made before the next service, or, at the end of the match, before the appealing side has left the court.
- An appeal on a question of fact, such as whether a shuttle was in or out, is not a question of law: the official responsible for it decides.
Mistakes to avoid
- Arguing a line call with your opponent instead of asking the umpire when there is one.
- Waiting until after the next serve to appeal: it is too late.
- Calling a service fault yourself when a service judge is in charge of it.
- Treating a club match without officials as if it had the same procedure: agree the way to settle disputes before playing.
General practice advice: play within your limits and stop if something hurts.